Pancakes, flat jacks, hotcakes…no matter what you call them they’re delicious. If you disagree, message me and we can have a pank doo (pancake) debate. If I do find a non-pancake lover, I’d have the right mind to slap them across the face with one (like on the movie Grown-ups). For those of you that are in agreement with my love of pancakes, here’s a dip your toe in the raw water recipe of deliciousness.

I got this recipe from Brendan Brazier’s book Thrive. It’s a great book for athletes and non-athletes alike. Vegans, health-nuts, and just people trying to be healthier can get some great ideas from it. While Brendan’s recipe calls for buckwheat flour, I use whatever is on hand. I would suggest keeping to a gluten-free flour, in order to keep these light on the stomach and easy to digest.

If you’re a brave raw foodist you can, like me, first sprout the buckwheat, or other grain. Then dehydrate until crunchy. Next grind in your food processor to desired consistency. Now you have raw, sprouted, living flour! Because this is such a process that takes several days, I do a big batch at a time and store it in the freezer. The steps are REALLY easy, it just takes a bit of planning. Probably a total of ten minutes actual work time. If you don’t have a dehydrator, the time, or simply the gumption, start out with buckwheat, quinoa, or even almond flour.

1/4 cup raw oat flakes or some other flakes like barley flakes, or you could add sprouted buckwheat, walnuts or anything else for some crunch and texture interest

Other fruit, like berries. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, blackberries, or dingle-berries (I don’t know what those actually are). If it’s berriesque it belongs in the pancakes!

Directions:

1. Stir together the flour, flaxseed, hemp protein, baking powder, and cinnamon until they seem like one.

2. In a food processor blend the banana a some of the water until smooth.

3. Add the banana mixture and rest of the water to the flour concoction and stir until smooth

4. Mix in the berries and oat flakes, and whatever else you want.

5. Now here’s where there’s a fork in the road. You can a) dehydrate the pancakes on low or b) heat them on VERY low over the stove in a pan. Of course dehydration will take a…while. If you prefer to heat over the stove, but still want most of your food living, just be sure to keep the heat very low. The pancakes should get firm on each side after sitting about five minutes. The center will be moist and undercooked, but delicious none-the-less.

Now every good pancake has to have a delicious topping. You can do the ever so over done maple syrup or agave nectar, honey if you desire. In my opinion though, this raspberry topping I made for Todd really completes it.

Stuff you need:

1 cup raspberries

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon stevia or maple syrup or agave nectar (may need more according to taste)

Directions:

Blend everything together in a coffee grinder or food processor.

Throw it on top of your pancakes.

Now, I’m no expert, but the sweetness and fun color of this topping seems like a great way to introduce kids to raw pancakes.

And there you have it: A gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, nut free, low sugar, healthy carb, healthy fat, nutrient dense pancake of scrumptiousness. They’re high-fiber, high vitamin c from the berries, provide plenty of essential fatty acids omega 3-6-9 from the flaxseed and hemp protein, high-enzyme, and just over-all good for you. : ) Compare that to the average pancake which is made with white flour (no fiber), egg (no omega 3s unless you buy free range), milk (no enzymes, no probiotics (important good bacteria stuff that your tummy and immune system like), not to mention the puss that’s included from over-milking the cow’s (yuuuum!)), and oil (unless it’s an extra virgin oil sourced from GOOD fats (like flaxseed, coconut oil, olive oil, walnut oil, etc) it offers virtually no benefit other than making your fat cells engorged (delightful). I think we know who wins this one. : )

I’m so excited today, I got flyers printed out for the first raw food potluck I’m holding! It’s going to be great to get to share my passion with other people in the area. I was reminded of the passion people have for raw food while working at the health food store the other day. A woman came in from out of state. She had already been in town for several days. She explained to me she didn’t know our store existed and so she had been living on lifeless food for the last week. When I pointed out her favorite raw snack her eyes lit up and she thanked me. Then, when she spotted the Raw Kombucha in our fridge she began to jump up and down and dance about with more enthusiasm than a kid at their birthday party. It was great to experience someone else’s joy over healthful foods.
So about one of my favorite subjects: Chia Seeds! Yes, the same seeds from chia pets (Chi-Chi-Chiaaaa!). These little seeds contain an important essential fatty acid- omega-3. EFA’s are important for heart health, skin health, immune health…basically they’re a big deal for your body. It seems the most popular form of getting omega-3 is from fish oils. However, chia seeds provide a raw source of the important omega-3 ALA. They are also high in fiber, protein, and low in fat. They provide iron and magnesium. They are virtually tasteless and are great to add to smoothies, raw cookies, or over salad. Unlike flax seeds chia seed’s good fat is on the outside, so they become gelly if soaked in liquid. Doing this forms a sort of chia pudding. Try this Chocolate Chia Shake:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 tablespoon raw cacao powder (or 1 tablespoon depending on the chocolate power you want to unleash)
1 cup ice
Raw sweetener to taste (agave, date syrup, honey, etc. I used a 1/2 tsp stevia.)

Preparation:
Let the chia seeds and water get to know each other by letting them sit in your blender for a few minutes while you get everything else together. This will make a gelly consistency. Throw everything in the blender and blend for a minute or so. You might want to add more water to get everything going. If you want it really chocolaty add more cacao powder. Enjoy!
*You could always use raw nut milk in place of the water, that would be double yum!!!

You can make a tapioca like pudding by covering two tablespoons of chia seeds in raw nut milk. Allow them to sit for a while. Add in a raw sweetener such as agave syrup. You can top with fruits such as berries, nuts, or whatever you like!
Enjoy today!
Renee

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